MW: Fed stands pat on key points at last '09 meeting
By Greg Robb
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The Federal Reserve stood pat on the key points of monetary policy following its meeting Wednesday. The Fed was more upbeat about growth in its policy statement. As expected, the Fed continued to signal that it will hold rates steady for a long time. The federal funds rate has been set at the historically low range of zero to 0.25% for the past year. Economic conditions "are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period," the Fed said. One change in the statement was that the Fed listed all of its emergency loan facilities and spelled out their expiration dates. None of the dates were new, but the Fed is choosing not to extend them further.
